A Bittersweet Reminder
by Jaro-ship
Summary: Having left the Volturi with Afton, tired of Aro's issues about the witnessing, Chelsea goes to Maine, where the Cullens are living. Upon arrival, Chelsea has to do what she promised Carlisle - tell him her heartbreaking, complicated story. HIATUS.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: Do you honestly think I'm Stephenie Meyer? Really? (But I secretly own everyone you don't recognize!)**

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I knocked lightly on the door. I looked back at Afton, still in the car; he smiled encouragingly at me. I wasn't sure about what I was doing, but at the very least, Carlisle had to know. He wouldn't be judgmental about the decision as I knew the others would be. I had no idea if he was even home. The lights weren't on.

Aro had been too much to handle after the disaster that came of Irina's false accusation. And if Aro had been unbearable, Caius made him look like Marcus. Caius was taking his anger out on the castle walls and doors. I've never seen Felix and Demetri running around doing so many repairs as they had been in the past few months.

Still, I had been thinking about it ever since Afton had first proposed the idea two hundred years back. Aro knew I had been chewing it over, even more so lately. The witnessing just gave me, and then Afton after he got over his initial excitement, the push to leave.

I still remember a lot about my human life, especially after Aro's visit when he told my family that he'd be taking Antonio, my older brother, and I back to Volterra with him. Oh how I would miss Antonio.

I saw the flurry of motion in the windows die down when Edward growled Afton's and my name. It had taken maybe half a second for the whole thought process and commotion dying down to happen. Being changed by Aro made you super fast at everything as he would always be a skilled vampire at a lengthy three thousand years.

A short girl with black hair - _Alice_, if I remembered correctly from the photos and meeting last January - opened the door timidly. Immeadiately, my hand went up to the light scar on my cheek (the only scar on my face) where Aro had struck me after he found out about my new split dietary habits. Half humans, half animals. It was a small price to pay, but I knew Carlisle would see that I took his advice to heart. I sighed on the inside when I thought of Afton having a tougher time splitting his diet. He was also younger.

"You must be Chelsea," Alice said, looking scared out of her mind. She suddenly looked a lot calmer, and I saw Jasper step up right behind her. Jasper. He was the one Southern who got away from Maria. He could control emotional atmospheres. I was amazed at how my brain was still wired to spit out facts about every vampire in the world.

I smiled softly, and held my hands up about shoulder-high. I looked straight at Carlisle, hoping the centuries hadn't been too long for him to forget how to correctly read my face. Hoping that he did, I drew the smile down into a slight frown.

"As you know, Carlisle, I took your words and advice to heart; you can see that in my eyes. After you left, Afton suggested leaving. That was over two hundred years ago, and I am just now taking offer up. Again, you can see that in my eyes," I said, still staring at Carlisle, hoping all those hours in the courtyard and library hadn't been wasted.

I had hoped correctly. Carlisle disentangled himself from Esme's arms and took me into his own. I smelled his scent in again, relishing in the familiarity. Holding on tight for dear life, I wondered whether or not he would take me up on _my_ offer.

"I'm so sorry," Carlisle said. I felt Afton come up behind me in the doorway. "For the both of you." I buried my face in his neck, the last connection I had to my human past.

While leaving the Volturi is optional, if you were powerful and "collected" by Aro, he didn't take it easily. I know he had Caius beat Afton one night for giving me the idea - after all, I was the one who kept everyone loyal. Aro had slapped me for my dietary change, and yelled at me for hours upon hours, but never got physical. That was the sexist male in Aro. Always going easy on the women.

"I'm just sorry we waited so long," I muttered, and calmed down a little when Afton hooked one of his fingers through a belt loop in my jeans.

"That must've been awful," I heard Bella - newborn, mental shield, had Edward infatuated as a human, left Volterra alive - say. Remembering that Edward could read minds, I assumed Edward had mentioned it to Bella, being his mate and all. Carlisle let go of me, and I almost stumbled into Afton. He set his chin on the top of my head, almost eager to be able to be open about our relationship for the first time. Back in Volterra - I never referred to it as "home" for home would always be Venice for me, in the house I grew up in - because of the ban against mates in the Guard, we had to be extremely discreet about our relationship.

Carlisle smiled sadly at Afton and me and then introduced everyone. It was hard not to make comparisons to those in the Guard (Rosalie, Heidi; Jasper, a bit like Marcus; Bella, Renata), but I managed to make them quickly and then push them out of my mind.

As most do when guests are over, we all moved into the living room, Afton never letting go of the belt loop.

"Amazing," I heard Jasper mutter at some point, when Afton and I were throwing back a slightly heated argument about dinner tonight in rapid Italian.

"What?" Alice said, equally as quiet. I was suddenly glad for my excellent hearing skills.

"They're closer than Bella and Edward. It's like watching a future version of them," Jasper whispered. I heard Jasper say this as Afton said a very old, inside joke about feeding on humans and I slapped him on the arm.

"Actually, they're closer than Edward and Bella will ever be," Carlisle said, dropping his voice down to their level. "You know how Edward and Bella sort of orbit around each other?" I saw them nod in my peripherals, and Carlisle continued on. "They don't orbit; they shadow. Although they had to keep their relationship quiet, one was the other's shadow; so close a shadow that sometimes they looked like one person. It's absolute hell if one has to leave to go on a trip and the other is left by themselves in Volterra. They become worse than Marcus. Even Marcus can't draw Chelsea out of her shell if that happens, and the two of them are pretty much best friends."

"Wow," Rosalie breathed.

"Yes," Carlisle murmured. "If I know Chelsea, and I know her extremely well, she's just being introverted right now and into nothing but herself and Afton, it's because she's working up the courage to tell her story. As you'll hear later, one of the conditions I made in the offer I gave her to seek a home with me if she were to ever leave was that, because I never heard it, as soon as she walked in the door, she had to tell her story to me. You all, by chance, will get to hear it as well. From what I've heard in my days with the Volturi, it's quite a story. Makes ours look dull, boring, and short," Carlisle added. Damn. He did know me very well.

He was right - I was still working up the courage. The last time I told my story, it was to Afton, and I hadn't told him everything....

We played catch up, talking about what both sides had done over the years. I heard the quick, abbreviated versions of everyone's story except for Carlisle's, Renesmee's, and Bella's, since it had been my job to know Bella's inside out.

"Are you two married?" Renesmee asked me a little while later, leaning against Bella in her lap. She had to be what now, seven physically? A year in a few months?

I felt Afton smile small against the back of my head. I looked at her and Bella enviously, although I didn't allow the envy to appear on my face. Oh how I hated Aro for taking away a daughter from my future. Sure, I had hated my first husband, but a daughter would have kept me in the horrid marriage. I shifted my attention to just her as I absent-mindedly traced random curves on the back of Afton's hand. I was on his lap in one of the armchairs decorating the room, and his arms were around me, almost a little protectively. I felt comfortable and safe, two things I only felt every so often.

I nodded at her. "Yes, yes we are." I took a mental deep breath. "Would you like to hear the story of how? It's a rather long story, but a story nonetheless."

Renesmee's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

And then I took the high, deep dive into the water that I had probably should have taken a long time ago. And as I soared down for the water, I knew the only way I was going to be able to surface was to finish the story.

"Well, it starts on a late summer's day in August, around, oh, fifteen ninety-eight and Aro had come to visit my father...."


	2. Chapter 1

**I'm beta-less! If you're interested (and qualified) then PM me, because I'm looking for one!**

**DISCLAIMER: Do you honestly think I'm Stephenie Meyer? Really? (But I secretly own everyone you don't recognize!)**

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"...Might make a good choice, Aro, although I do not really know about choosing her specifically. You know..."

I was nearly pressed up against the door listening to my indecisive father and the mysterious Aro. Aro was a leader of some group; Renata used to call it a culto, but that was before she was dragged away to where Aro lived and - apparently - ruled. I knew very little about what he did - most of my brothers didn't know, even Antonio, who Father usually told everything to relating to the family - and the only one in the family who seemed to have the smallest of ideas was Father.

"You cannot deny what I have already presented to you, Francesco," Aro said quietly. He sounded calm yet angry.

"Then you can announce it later," Father said after several minutes of silence. I wondered how Aro had allowed this without speaking.

Evening meal. I had only been to two of the meals that had included Aro, and although he never ate with us, it never felt different that he denied everything that was served to him. Except the wine. He always had a glass of wine, probably to not insult our family.

I could almost hear the self-satisfied grin take over Aro's face. One thing I had learned in the short time I spent around Aro was that not only was he an great fan of history and quite greedy, he always got what he wanted. Always. Nobody told him otherwise.

They exchanged words to low for me to hear. I was annoyed that I couldn't hear them. I had been tempted to borrow a glass from the kitchen to help make their voices louder as the door was pure, hard wood, but the cook, Piero, would not hear of it. I knew I would have to go to confession for the next thought, but sometimes I wished Piero were damned to hell tomorrow. He was annoying and was always making little snide remarks about my perfect manners, but my father kept him because he was the best cook in all of Venice. Italy, even, but I doubted it. There were families wealthier than us, unbelieveable as it may seem, so they must have a better cook than ours.

There was a reason I skipped meals when cuttlefish was served. Piero always managed to make it meet its second death.

A chair squeaked - Father, most likely. Aro never made a sound unless he was talking. Nobody had gotten close enough in a quiet enough room to hear his heartbeat. I scurried down the hall to where little Vincent was playing on the floor. He looked up at me expectantly.

"Block?" Vincent held up a wooden block to me.

I smiled and quickly sat down across from him, arranging my skirt so it looked like I had been sitting and playing for a while. "Building a tower?" I asked. Vincent was barely three years old, but still had a fascination with the wooden blocks he had recieved a year ago at his first Christmas after Father had gone on his third trip to Germany and discovered them.

Vincent nodded. "You stack like this, Cee-Cee," he said, going on to show me how to properly stack the tower - "properly" being his way of stacking them.

I smiled at the nickname. He called me "Cee-Cee" because he had a hard time pronouncing out the name "Chelsea" when he was learning everyone's names.

We played for maybe a minute before the library door opened and Father and Aro walked out. I corrected myself mentally; Father walked out while Aro did his mysterious gliding walk. It was so mysterious, it didn't seem human. I shuddered at the thought that maybe everything I knew could be a lie. I liked knowing everything.

"Chelsea playing with you?" Father asked, walking over towards us. Aro looked tempted to walk over as well, but merely took a step forward.

"Yes!" Vincent exclaimed. "Cee-Cee is the bestest tower builder in all of Venice!" He launched himself into Father's arms from the floor. Father grinned as he caught Vincent.

"Chelsea is the best tower builder?" Father asked, looking over his shoulder at Aro. Aro smiled and finally walked all the way over, never taking his eyes off of me. I ducked my head to hide my blush. I saw Vincent nod eagerly through the curtain of my black hair.

"The bestest, Father, the bestest. She could be the bestest builder of real towers when she gets older!" Vincent looked at me and then back to Father. I lifted my head, stared at Vincent warmly and smiled for the three of them, quite aware of the fact that I probably wouldn't even be able to know the different styles of architecture because of the fact that I was a girl.

Girls normally had two choices when they came of age - get married and have children or enter a covenant. This was decided based on your birth order. The oldest girl in the family - in my family, it was me - was the one to marry and if you happened to be extremely lucky or extremely rich, the second oldest got to marry as well. All the other girls had to enter covenants. One girl out of the younger could also have the option of staying at home and helping the oldest brother's children. My father's youngest sister, Maria, was the aunt that lived with us. Most of the time, she just looked after Vincent to make sure he didn't get into any type of trouble.

Boys were a lot luckier. The oldest of the boys - in my family, it was Antonio who was a year younger than me - married and had children while all the boys, the oldest included, would spend a few years at university to pursue a degree that would help them in the job Father picked out for them. Then they would split up the family's wealth, and some would live in the same house as the oldest or move out to somewhere else. Girls didn't have the option of university - we didn't even know how to read or write! Antonio, however, has always been my accomplice in secretly breaking the education rule, by teaching me how to read and write late at night when everyone else is asleep. I knew how to write every letter in the alphabet and Antonio was currently helping me get through a rather difficult Greek play.

"Yes, she could, could she not?" Father said, looking at me. I met his gaze, both of us knowing that it very well wouldn't happen. Besides, building was a peasent's job. Aro shifted feet every so slightly next to Father. Father set Vincent down, who immeadiately dove back for his tower, knocking it all over the place and creating a loud noise. Aunt Maria stuck her head around the corner and started chiding Vincent about being more quiet with his toys.

"I'll show you to the guest room where you can stay for a while before the evening meal," Father offered, averting my eyes. Aro shook his head.

"If you do not mind, my friend, I would much rather to retreat to your library if that is acceptable with you," Aro said, making it more of a statement than a question.

"Not at all," Father said, bowing ever so slightly. (What kind of group did Aro lead?) "Do wish to escort yourself?"

"I will go on my own, but thank you for the offer. Francesco, Chelsea," Aro said, dipping his head a fraction of an inch, staring at me, and then turned on the heel of his foot and almost flitted to the door.

"Why did he stare at me?" I challenged. I was not normally allowed to ask such daring questions, but the moment didn't feel anything like "normal". Father did not answer me and left for the opposite direction Vincent and Aunt Maria were arguing in.

I gave up and looked at my youngest brother. His face was pinched with determination as he tried to get Aunt Maria to keep him out of trouble. My aunt, however, wasn't going to hear of it and ordered him to pick the blocks up and then to his room until evening meal.

I sighed and stood up, gathering my skirts into a fist so I wouldn't trip over them as I occasionally did. I was barefoot - all the easier to walk around - but the late summer sun still attracted to the dark red fabric that made up my dress through the rows of windows. It made me wonder why Aro insisted on wearing his cloak indoors, even though it was slightly unmannerly to force it the way he did. Once again, he always got everything he wanted.

Even though it was strongly discouraged for girls, I slipped into the library. Our library wasn't the biggest in Venice, but it certainly a great deal larger than most. I smiled softly as I aimlessly walked through the aisles, remembering fondly of the times when I would play hide-and-seek with Heidi and Renata when we were younger and I would always get lost. Always. But I was a loud crier, so they found me almost instantly. I have never liked being by myself unless I wanted the solitude, even as a young child.

I sighed inwardly at the mention of Renata. She had been the first from our family that Aro had taken. I hadn't seen her in a year. I wonder if she knew I was getting married in a week. Renata was aware that I had suitor after suitor come up to my father on the streets asking for my hand in marriage themselves personally.

My smiled turned into a sad one when I thought of what she had missed out on. She could be dead with my luck; I knew people died when Aro took them away. Sometimes they didn't even make it to the infamous induction ceremony everyone spoke about. People knew all about Aro and what he does. Nobody, though, really knew what exactly he was this "leader" of. If anybody caught wind of something, they were mysteriously dead within a week.

I was completely lost in memories when somebody cleared their throat. I nearly jumped a foot away from the noise. I saw Aro looking at me curiously and I could feel my smile fade. Damn. I had forgotten that he had decided to stay in here.

"Don't worry; I won't bite you," Aro said, and I could have sworn that there was something he was leaving out on purpose.

I laughed nervously. "Of course," I said lamely, trying my hardest to stare into his eyes. A shadow crossed his chalky pale skin so I couldn't really see his eyes that well.

"Do you mind if I were ask you something right now?" Aro tilted his head slightly.

I looked around out of habit, even though we were the only two in there. Normally I did only did that when Antonio and I were arguing about what I was to secretly learn next.

"Not at all," I said quietly, hoping the low volume hid the fright in it.

"Wonderful," Aro said, and started to walk through the bookshelves. I hitched my skirts above my ankles and had to just about jog to keep up with him. We wound through aisle after aisle until we came across a little table and two green velvet chairs. There was a tiny oil lamp that had a dying ember illuminating the secret corner and it was far away enough from the bookshelves that darkness seemed to be fighting with the ember - and the ember was dying. I tried not to shake as I sat down. I did not know that this part of the library even existed.

"I hope you do not mind my forwardness, but can you tell me what makes you tick, Chelsea? Why do you act the way you do?" Aro asked, gracefully perching on the edge of the opposite chair. "I only ask because you fascinate me for some reason that I cannot quite figure out. Almost as if there's a pull coming from you to anyone who comes near you."

I bit my lower lip, wondering how to answer such a vastly ideologic question. I didn't want to give Aro the wrong answer and upset him in any way.

"I guess," I said slowly, picking my words carefully, "I guess it is because I am curious. Curious about a lot of things, actually. I also very much dislike being by myself. I always have to surround myself in people," I admitted, my words picking up speed as they came to me. "The one little problem with being with people all of the time is that I am constantly afraid of them not liking me or not liking being around me. I sometimes find myself almost wishing people would like me, and if they already do, more than they do."

I paused. Why was I opening up to a stranger like Aro? It made no sense and yet I felt comfortable around him. I didn't normally have the fear that he would suddenly run away and never like me again.

Aro looked at me, his face blank. I couldn't read anything on it, but his eyes showed greed - greed, excitement, and the one that nearly sent me running back to my mother's arms was power. It was an alarming amount of power, and I tried to get my breathing normal again. He seemed to smile to himself.

"Thank you, Chelsea. And know I believe it is time we need to join your family," Aro said, still smiling and stood up. There was that tone - that tone that let me know he was leaving something out because he knew more than he was letting on. Sure enough, little Vincent came running out of the shadows.

"It's time to eat!" Vincent said breathlessly. "I hope you're happy Chelsea. I had to literally run all over this place trying to find you." I pulled him against me. He was big enough that I could hug him and he could wrap his arms around my waist.

"Remember, do not run," I told Vincent as I picked him up and walked the way Aro and I had come. I was good at retracing my steps, an art I had practiced long hours.

"Sorry, Cee-Cee, but Father said that the guest had an important announcement to make!" Vincent rushed, getting his breath back. He spoke as if Aro wasn't following us.

"Well then thank you for being Mother's little helper," I said.

Evening meal hadn't started when we got there, so I quietly took my seat next to Heidi, opposite Antonio. He winked at me. Tomorrow night's lesson was still scheduled.

I looked sadly at Renata's place, which was next to Antonio. Nobody adjusted the way we were seated - it was a reminder of what Aro had done. Only Father really got along with Aro and his decisions. There was a seat next to Father at the head of the table. No doubt Aro would be sitting there.

We began eating, and as usual, Aro just sat there, watching us, his right index finger tracing the rim of his blood red wine glass. Before, I didn't dare look at him, but this time when I peeked out of the corner of my eye, I finally could recognize the amused expression on his face.

Piero and the servants came by when everyone was finished eating the the dessert - Zuccotto, a dessert Piero brought with him when he moved from Florence to Venice - and Father looked at Aro. Aro nodded and Father called everyone to attention. Father looked towards Renata's old seat, and cleared his throat, the sorrow burning in his eyes. The table became a deathly silence that I wished didn't have the grief in the air. Everyone had seen Father look to Renata's place of absence.

"As we all know, Renata was the heart and soul of this family until a year ago when she was selected to accompany Aro back to Volterra," Father said, and I could see in his eyes that he was trying not to cry or yell at Aro. Renata really had been the glue that kept the family together. He looked over at me, and I felt all of the eye of my family look towards me. Aro had already been staring at me the entire time.

"Chelsea has done an outstanding job of taking over that role; and since I have the confidence to say that Renata will no longer to us, I can confide in all of you that I personally feel Chelsea has done a better job than Renata, especially when Aunt Francesca's death of the influenza hit all of us unexpectedly." I blushed at the compliment, but remembered the death with pain. Aunt Maria and Aunt Francesca had been twins, and worked the maiden aunt job together. I saw Aunt Maria beaming at me, but there was grief in her eyes for her sister.

Father looked at Aro, and Aro looked at him. They switched positions. Aro even put the tips of his fingers on the edge of the long wooden table. His voice was somewhat hauntingly beautiful, like Death was in truth a very nice person.

"I am sorry for both of your losses," he started, and the amused expression on his face disappeared. "I can tell you that Renata is well and healthy and has indeed gone through the induction ceremony so many Venetians seem to know. I am afraid, however, that my visit is not for pleasant reasons from your viewpoint. You see, I am in need of not one, but two of your very talented family."

Everyone at the table held their breath. Inside, I was crying. I suddenly realized that Aro had only talked to me in confidentiality because he was taking me with him to Volterra. That must be where he lived. I wondered who else he was stealing.

"In one week's time I will return to collect Antonio. I believe that he will benefit a great deal from joining me." As he spoke his words, everyone stared at Antonio. He looked at me and mouthed an apology. I did not know if he knew that I would be coming with him as well. I smiled sadly, and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. He touched my foot with his reassuringly.

"In two week's time I will return not to here, but to her new address, to collect Chelsea. I realize that she will be married at this time, but I feel that it would be ideal for her to at least experience a week of marriage before joining me. I also feel that she will be able to help make sure everyone gets along, as that is turning out to be a bit of a problem." Aro looked at me, and I just stared at Antonio. Suddenly, he looked absolutely terrified.

He remained strong for the family, while I pressed my face into Heidi's shoulder and started crying quietly. She ran her fingers through my hair, putting her cheek against the top of my head.

I hated Aro. Dislike was not strong enough a word in this situation.

I hated that he took Renata away. I hated that he would be taking Antonio away. I hated that I would have to leave. I hated that he was making me marry the bastard that I was engaged to. I hated that he was ripping me away from my family. I could barely imagine a life without Heidi, but Vincent was unbearable to think about. His sweet, chubby face, his untidy black hair, the way he desperately tried to pronounce my full first name but failed and stayed with "Cee-Cee" because he felt comfortable with that, all of that would be gone. Forever.

Father said some other words, but I cried through them. At some point, I felt Heidi push me up and take me to my room. I could hear her whispering to Antonio. When she made me undress and put my night gown on, I stopped crying. I sat in front of the giant mirror that hung on the wall opposite the balcony - sometimes I watched the lights of Venice go out through the mirror making everything feel like it was going to sleep backwards - as she ran a brush through my hair. I stared at my face, fair and clear of freckles, blotched from crying.

"Try to write me?" Heidi asked when she was finished. I stood up and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I will try to, but I doubt I will be able to. You know Renata promised that to us, and we have not heard anything from her since she left," I whispered. I knew that if I talked any louder indirectly about my fate, I would begin to cry again.

"I am so sorry, Chelsea," Heidi said quietly. "Will you be fine tonight?"

"Yes," I lied, and after she left, reluctance in her face, I pressed my face into the pillow and cried myself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**Usual disclaimers apply. And my arm and shoulder is doing better!**

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Mother left me by myself for a couple of days after the announcement, as did everyone else but Antonio. By the third day, I looked and felt absolutely horrible. I slept most of the days, and Piero normally came up with meals twice a day (midday and evening) since I was slowly turning to staying awake at night and sleeping days away. On the fourth day, still in the same gown that Heidi had left me in, Norene and Heidi swept in, threw back the curtains to reveal the breaking dawn, and Norene threw herself on top of me.

I grunted. "What do you two want?" I asked bitterly, digging my face into the pillow to avoid the light.

"Mother says that you have to get up today and that we're going to a party!" Norene nearly shouted, bouncing her little body up and down against mine. I groaned. It was the party I had to attend to gloat that I was getting married in two day's time. I hated the spotlight, and it was going to be on me for several hours.

"Norene, hush, please," Heidi said, a lot softer than our 12-year-old sister. I loved Norene - even her Irish name, which Father had picked up on his business travels - but she was the loudest of the family. She was more than likely part of the conspiracy Heidi planned to get me up and ready for the horror hours later.

"Sorry!" Norene giggled, her voice dropping to a soft volume that I'd never heard her go down to. She continued to bounce lightly on me.

"Norene, could you go get Mother, please? I need to talk to Chelsea alone," Heidi whispered and I felt like yelling at her. I was 15, not 5, so there was no reason to treat me like I wasn't in the room.

I felt Norene's weight lift off of me and the door click shut. I kept my face buried in the pillow.

"Chelsea," Heidi said, a little bit louder this time. When I didn't respond, her voice became more urgent as she repeated my name. After a while, it got annoying so I turned and looked up at her.

"What?" I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the light.

"You need to get up. You look awful and underfed and-"

I cut her off. "Piero has been feeding me." I neglected to say that it was only two meals a day.

"Fine, but you just...." Heidi seemed unsure of what to say. "Let's take this in baby steps, okay?" I nodded in response. "First step - sit up."

We continued like that, going in tiny steps while - I assumed - Norene was running through the house looking for Mother. We had made it to sitting in front of my mirror when Mother rushed in. She tried to hold back her emotions while she looked at me. I could understand why - my waist-length, dark, waist-length hair was not only unruly but unbrushed; my eyes were swollen from all of the crying that I had been doing and bloodshot from all the hours I forced myself to try to read _Lysistrata_ from candlelight; my face was sweaty due to my lack of washing it nightly like I was supposed to. I cringed as I looked at my reflection.

"I think your dress is in your closet," Mother said quietly and turned to look through it for the dark crimson dress we'd had made a few weeks prior. Heidi smiled sadly at me and went to go talk to Mother. Most likely to explain what we were doing - or, rather, what she was doing to get me ready.

"I see," Mother said, and laid the dress on the bed. She came over and kissed me on the top of my head, avoiding looking at my reflection. "I was going to help you today, but Heidi has asked me if she could do it by herself, and explained why. I understand why she wants to be alone with you. Will you be alright with just her?"

I nodded meekly. She forced a tiny smile at me, and then quickly left.

"Remember our baby steps?" Heidi asked, still in Chelsea-is-incapable-of-doing-large-tasks-like-a-three-year-old mode. At this point, I really didn't care how she acted towards me. I'd rather Antonio's company over hers, but it would be improper for him to have to make sure I was okay and help with my getting into the dress specifically made for today. I had only two days left with him before my wedding - the day after, Aro was coming to collect him. I nodded at Heidi's words to break my saddening thoughts.

On we continued - walking to the bed, taking the nightdress off, putting the many layers of the dress on, walking back to the mirror, sitting down, and continuing like that. It took a good amount of time before Heidi seemed satisfied with my transformation.

I looked back at myself uninterestedly. The dark crimson fabric had black lace flowing through the several layers of skirt, and there were strands of black lace the ran up the upper half of the dress and down along the arms. When I looked closer at them, they looked like vines. Heidi had managed to pull a good amount of my hair away from my face, but since I had too much hair - it was thick and down to my waist - she just pinned it back, and after using metal rods warmed up in hot water, my wavy hair was a bit wavier. Of course, my hair was only wet for a little while since it was the end of May and therefore Venice was becoming unbearably hot. Somehow just the dress and hair pulled back offset the blotchiness of my face and my bloodshot eyes. I looked more human.

"I'll go get Mother. We should be leaving soon," Heidi said, twirling a piece of hair around her finger, something she did when concentrating hard on a topic she found even remotely worthwhile of using her brain. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for the wooden _chopines_ I had to wear out in public to protect the bottom hem of my dress. Heidi left when I didn't respond verbally.

She eventually came back with Mother. Mother, of course, was happy beyond belief with Heidi's work; I could care less. Midday meal had passed, and so after Mother left to inform Aunt Maria that we were leaving - Father had gone back to work - Heidi and I snuck off to the kitchen to ask Piero for a roll and a couple of strawberries each to hold off until the party. There was sure to be food there.

Father had his own personal gondolier anyone living in the palazzo could get a ride from. Mario, the gondolier, was in a joyous mood that morning since his wife had bore their first child successfully last night, and Mother kept up with his chatter about his new son. I didn't partake, nor did Heidi, for we both knew that Mother didn't expect us to partake or offer our opinions. She only did so to not be seen as rude and ruin Mario's mood, as the ride was always a lot smoother when his spirits were high.

It was at the Zoccarato's palazzo (the Zoccarato family was the richest family in all of Venice) that Heidi spoke.

"You wish Renata were here, do you not?" Heidi said quietly as Mario helped Mother out of the gondola.

"You could say that," I said as Mario took my hand and helped me up onto the land. I turned to watch Heidi.

"I am sorry I cannot fill that void," Heidi murmured as we made our way towards the door.

I shook my head. "Antonio has helped with that. Besides, I will be seeing her in a week's time, so it is not the end of the world."

"It does not help you right now, though, my dear sister. I know how you hate these parties and how Renata was of much more comfort than I could ever be."

"I know," I replied. "Take comfort in the fact that you are not the center of everyone's attention and judgmental eyes." As I moved to be in front of Mother, I could feel Heidi's eyes on my back, curious as to how I knew such a word as 'judgmental' with my being a woman.

As soon as the doors opened, I was whisked away from Heidi and Mother, and into the arms of every other girl my age there. Questions were asked. Gossip and new styles was traded. We briefly skimmed over the fact that I wouldn't be married for a long time, due to Aro's taking me in a week - news traveled fast, I had quickly learned when I was younger. At some point, maybe two hours into the chatter, Mother came for me, and it was a repeat of the same thing, except with all of their mothers.

"It amazes me that Aro would choose someone like Chelsea, let alone her young age," Grazia's mother said. I hated how they all talked quietly, and sometimes, like you weren't even there. Grazia was my best friend, as her family lived in the palazzo right next to ours all of our life. She was 18, and about to move into her husband's palazzo. We had just been discussing how we would see each other when my mother took me away.

Thankfully, after very little cheese, and nothing to drink in the sweltering summer heat, I could look forward to going back to the palazzo and downing half a bottle of wine Piero would sneak to me after I came back in my horrible mood. Everyone was going home, and so we were allowed to as well.

"I think that went very well," Mother said, once the gondola was on its way back. Nobody seemed to know how to respond. Not even Mario knew what to say, so he just nodded and kept us going at a steady pace back home. I was outside my room, about to change into something lighter but still appropriate before my wine trip, when Heidi stopped me.

"Are you going to be alright by yourself?" Her eyes searched mine - or, at least, they attempted to as my own eyes searched the carpet beneath my bare feet. I nodded solemnly, my hair falling forward to cover my face.

"Fine then," Heidi said, and then left hesitantly, like she didn't believe I would. I'd be fine - I was secretly glad for the party, actually; it gave me a chance to try to be normal and human again.

I was pulling my hair down when Antonio - I knew it was him by the three quick raps - knocked on the door. I called loudly for him to come in, and he quickly shut the door behind him, a bottle of red wine and two glasses in his hand.

"You shouldn't have," I murmured as Antonio put his glass down and proceeded to pour mine. He handed the full glass to me.

"I know you normally drink half a bottle after a long event like the one at the Zoccarato's, and I also wanted to have a little toast to our last meal together," he said as he poured his own.

"So if anybody catches us, it's a toast to your last night," I concluded, making sure I was right in trying to figure out what he was saying in his mess of words.

My older brother nodded. "A toast." We clinked glasses. "To our last night together and to your surviving your last party as a maiden."

"A toast," I replied, lifted my glass a little higher than I was holding it, and drank half the glass before surfacing. Antonio did the same.

"Does it not feel great to break the rules every once in a while?" Antonio mused, walking out to the balcony. I followed him, bringing the bottle with me.

"It sure does," I said quietly, looking at the setting sun and the lights of Venice lighting up at the same time. "You're leaving at dawn, aren't you?"

"I am," Antonio said gravely. His face was drawn into a frown as he took a sip of wine. It lit up as a thought occurred to him. "Aro will be here for evening meal. Could you use that little talent of yours, and get him to say till noon?"

I scowled. I hated everyone in my family referring to my ability to sweet-talk anyone the way I wanted. "Maybe."

"Please, Chelsea? Please? I wish to say my good-byes at once to everyone, not the staggered way I have to tonight." Antonio was pleading to me. Pleading. I glared at him.

"I hate all of you for acting like I have some sort of gift. No! I will not! I do not feel like doing that for you! I would if you hadn't used me in such a way in the past that you were able to slide out of trouble, but you did, so therefore, I shall not." I turned away from him, and towards the setting sun.

His voice got louder. "Then why did you let me before?"

"Because I had no choice! In my head, at least. I felt like I would be betraying somebody's trust or like for me if I didn't. I felt like, if I did not do what they wanted, I would be pushed into a corner to be forgotten. So I had no choice to myself. I won't!" My voice had grown louder as well, and I finished off my words with the other half of wine.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I turned to pour more wine and drank another glass greedily before I answered. Two more, and I'd be half done with the bottle. I looked at the label. 1593. It was young in the sitting process. It had the flavor of being young.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Antonio repeated, his voice much more quiet. Normal, even.

I snapped for some reason - all the years I spent keeping my feelings trapped up inside of me.

"I didn't tell you because I was scared! Scared, alright? You try feeling like stepping on the wrong foot in a certain hallway will cause you to be forgotten about!" I yelled. More wine flowed into the glass, and then through my lips. Antonio seemed taken aback. It must have been my emotions, but I felt a little drunk. "You try feeling like you are walking on egg shells! You try feeling like you are being judged on everything you do!" I was in his face now, wine flying out in little groups of spit. "You try being me for a day! You try having to keep the family together, emotionally. You can try this and you may try that! But honestly, I don't think you could last a single day BEING ME!" I was sure all of Venice could hear me by now.

I downed the rest of my glass and moved on to my sixth. Antonio stood there in silence.

"I am so sorry I did not see this before," Antonio said, moving to the ledge, and setting his glass down. I stood there, moving back and forth ever so slightly, swirling the wine in my glass. A little spilled out and nearly hit my dress. My jaw set.

"Stuck in your own little world, playing Daddy's Perfect Son, I assume?" I finished the glass. Antonio looked over his shoulder and glared at me.

"Sorry if I was." It didn't sound like he fully meant it. But those eyes. I looked at his eyes and melted, just like with everyone I was fighting with. My anger disappeared. I went over and stood by him; he put his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"So am I," Antonio whispered, and he looked at me.

"What?" I asked, smiling.

"Why don't we start a tradition?" Antonio moved his arm down to his side, placed it on the ledge around his glass, entwined his fingers there, and then bent at the waist, so he was waist-level to me.

"You're leaving tomorrow," I countered. "How can we start a tradition?"

"We can continue it when you join Aro and me." Antonio grinned and looked up at me.

"Fine. What is it?" I figured I'd give this a shot.

"Every time we have a drink together, like this, after we are done, let us break the glasses." His smile reminded me of Christmases past as he ran through the house trying to get everybody awake.

"Sure," I shrugged. "We've got nothing to lose, right?"

"Just two wine glasses," Antonio said. "Off the ledge. Count of three."

"Three," I said, knowing that was an inside joke from our childhoods.

Antonio laughed as we dropped our glass over the edge.

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**You will (eventually) see that everything in this chapter is foreshadowing. The chapter title should be "Foreshadow"! But since I don't name chapters, it's not.**

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	4. Chapter 3

**Usual disclaimers apply.**

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Antonio was to leave on a Friday, and Aro arrived Wednesday. He had Renata with him, and Corin, a new "apprentice" as Aro had described him. All three got out of the gondola wearing black, billowing capes and apathetic faces, and never took them off for the most part those two days they were there.

Renata was never away from Aro; I had wondered many times if she had become his mistress, and wanted her approval on his choice or if simply because she threw a fit and demanded to come and this was his way of humoring her.

Either way, I wasn't able to talk to Renata the two days I saw her; I really wanted to, as well, because she seemed to have changed. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke with our father (I was beginning to question if she even saw our family as her family or if she had separated herself from us), the way she obeyed Aro's every beck and call without so much as complaint or reluctance; it was like she _wanted_ to get Aro another glass of wine (wine; another thing I was beginning to doubt) or open the door for him. It was the same way with Corin, although he seemed a little more afraid about it than Renata.

I was standing outside the library on Thursday in the late afternoon, waiting for the group (Aro, Renata, Corin, Father, and Antonio) to come out. I had no real significant purpose – I merely wanted to discuss what we were to do about my secret learning with Anthony – and so I busied myself with arranging and rearranging the flowers in all of the vases in the corridor, a term I had picked up from one of Father's fellow Senate members who had an English relative. The corridor had several mirrors, and under each mirror was a little end table with a vase of flowers on each. It also happened to be Heidi's favorite corridor to walk through.

I almost had the last vase in the hall arranged and was about to make it look like I just so happened to be walking through the corridor, when the door to the library swung open.

"Chelsea?" I heard Father ask, anger disguised craftily in his voice.

My hands froze. An hour wasn't over; the church bells hadn't rung yet signaling a new hour. They were supposed to go until the new hour. Their meeting must have ended early, something I hadn't taken into account in my plan to get Antonio to talk to him. Fingering the scar on the back of my left hand, I turned around slowly to greet the five faces staring at me, three uncaring about what might happen to me now.

"What are you doing here when your mother specifically asked you to help her get tonight's evening meal ready?" Father asked, fists clenching up into balls. I shrank back on the inside and met his eyes somewhat hesitantly.

"We finished early. She sent me to tell you." This was not a total lie; Mother had asked me to tell Father, should I come across him in the palazzo.

"Francesco?" Aro asked, placing a hand on Father's shoulder. "Is everything alright here?"

"Yes," Father said grimly, our eyes still locked, much to my dismay. I saw Aro shake his head, but since he was behind Father, I doubted that Father could have seen him.

"If you say so," Aro said. I tore my eyes away and watched as his lips moved too fast for me to understand, and he didn't make a noise; yet somehow, Corin and Renata understood him, and Corin walked away, disappearing around the corner.

"We'll leave you to your daughter," Aro said, and he and Renata and Antonio left, only one of them reluctant to leave. Afraid of my predictions coming true, I moved a couple of steps away from the vase. My mother would've been devastated had the vase broke.

"I thought we had this talk before, Chelsea, but apparently it did not sink in," Father said, sighing, his eyes wandering around the hall. They found me. I could feel myself cringing at the sight of them. I knew what was coming next. My fingers kept running over the scar.

"What is the rule?" Father asked, and his eyes were ablaze.

"We are not allowed to wait outside the library door when you have people you are meeting with inside the library unless it is an emergency," I recited. I checked his hands. Today he had on many rings on his fingers. I rubbed my scar even harder.

"Then could you at least follow it one time?" Father asked, rushing up to me and slapping me with the back of his hand across the face as he spoke. I felt skin rip open and I sunk to the ground, clutching the side of my chin.

"Yes, Father," I replied quietly, trying not to whimper at the pain. My hands felt sticky and wet.

"What?" Father asked. I could see that he still held a hand up in the air, ready to strike again.

"Yes, Father," I said, louder so he could hear me. He didn't say anything, and I watched as he turned on a heel and stormed down the hallway.

I sat there for a few minutes, stunned. He probably knew I would have tried to defend myself as I normally did, which was why he spoke and hit me at the same time. It was to catch me off guard.

After a few minutes, my neck and dress started to feel wet, so I stood up and rushed to the one person who knew everything.

It was amazing. While Antonio was my partner in pretty much everything and Renata, and then Heidi, was my confident, our cook, Piero, knew everything about me. Grazia, too, but she was only my best friend, so I only saw her at parties and the occasional times I would be allowed to make a social call to her palazzo with Mother.

When I got to the kitchen, Piero was about to come out with food, when he saw me, tears streaming down my face, blood caking my neck, and pain in my eyes. He handed the food off to someone else and put an arm around my shoulder, leading me to the back of the kitchen.

"Here," He said quietly, wetting a towel and giving it to me. I wiped the blood off my hands, neck, and shoulder, grateful the dress was a dark color and not totally ruined. I carefully wiped around where the cut was – there was a mirror above the kitchen sink and I could see where the rings hit my chin – and handed the towel back to Piero, who handed me a new one, which I put directly over the cut. He disappeared to dispose of the towel and then came back a few seconds later.

"So what happened?" Piero asked, pulling two backless chairs over so we could sit. I leaned against the sink.

"I was waiting for the meeting to end, and I was trying to pass the time by rearranging the flowers in the hallway-"

"The flowers look excellent," One of the other cooks said passing by us. "I just passed them. Beautiful!" He kissed his fingers and threw them up in the air.

"Thank you," I said, trying to smile without pulling the skin near the back end of my chin. The cook left.

"The flowers," Piero prompted.

"I was arranging the last vase, the vase in front of the library door, and the meeting ended early," I said, looking at Piero and letting him finish in his head what happened.

"I am sorry," Piero said. He looked down at his hands. "Your father did the same thing to Renata, but she broke the rules much more often than you do. He takes out any anger he has for your brothers on Antonio."

"Are you serious?" I asked. "They must hide it well."

"Yes, Chelsea, they do. Which is why Francesco beats them much more than he beats you," Piero said, now looking at me. He opened his mouth to say something when Corin came into the kitchen.

"Aro sent me," He stated bluntly. I held the bloody towel up.

"I am pretty much okay. Let him know I will not see him at dinner tonight."

"I will," Corin said stiffly, his face twisted in what looked like agony. He turned around and left muttering something about "Why Aro can't let me…?" as he left.

"Will you be okay if I dress your chin and send you with a maid and food back to your room?" Piero asked, taking the towel away from my chin. The blood was almost done flowing from my chin.

"Yes," I said, and let him dress my chin and put together a meal for me. He sent me off with a kiss on the forehead, a blessing of luck, and the maid who had my plate of food.

Feeling a little better from seeing Piero, I ate in my room and let the maid sit outside to keep people from seeing me. After I was finished, I gave the plate back to her and sent her away, wanting some time for myself.

I was nearly done with brushing my hair and the blood out of it when Antonio knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" He asked, poking his head in through the door.

"Yes," I said quietly, still staring at the dressing on my chin in the mirror, knowing it'd leave a big, ugly scar if it happened to heal evenly.

"Father," Antonio said, coming up behind me. He squeezed my neck in comfort. I nodded and swallowed back a sob. It still hurt.

"I came to give you this," Antonio said, placing the play we had started, [Greek play that was researched that starts with "L"], on the desk in front of me. "I was unable to convince Aro. Believe me when I say that I tried desperately."

"I do," I said, picking up the play. "You would never back down from a fight."

Antonio chuckled. "You do know me, little sister of mine." I reached up behind me and swatted his arm.

"A week without seeing your face," I said, referring to the upcoming week.

"I am going to be missing your wedding." Antonio sat down on the bed behind me. I put the play down and sat by him. "I am only half-saddened by that fact."

"You know I don't wish to go through with this," I said, looking at him, trying to memorize what his eyes looked like, for some bizarre reason. My gut was telling me to do so.

"I know that. That is the other fact that saddens the rest of me deeply. I do not wish for you to do something you would rather not do," Antonio said. He pushed a lock of hair behind me ear.

"I will be fine. Even if Aro were not taking me, I would still have several months before the palazzo was ready for me to move in," I said, still memorizing his dark brown eyes.

"It is only a week," Antonio said solemnly. I nodded in agreement. Antonio lightly touched the white fabric on my chin. "I thought Father had moved on to you after Renata left. This proves it."

"He had on nearly every ring he owns," I whimpered. There was a single knock on the door.

"That would be Aro," Antonio said. "I have to go. I leave early in the morning, well before dawn. I have already said good-bye to everyone else." He started to stand up. I pulled him back down and into a fierce embrace, the good side of my chin pressed against his neck.

"You have to leave now?" I asked quietly. I did not want him to leave, but I knew he had to. I just wanted him to say that he didn't have to go.

"Yes. I will see you soon, Chelsea. Carry that with you as you live your life until we shall meet once more," Antonio said, reciting the blessing my family gave when giving a formal farewell to family and close friends. He pulled away, kissed my forehead, and left my room.

I sat on my bed, confused and tired by the day's events. After a few minutes, I shook my head, picked up the play, and read until my candle burned out, which was just a little before dawn.

I was about to try and sleep for an hour or two when I heard voices outside. I climbed out of bed and opened the doors to the balcony silently. I walked over to the edge and looked down at the gondola, where Mario, Aro, Renata, Corin, and Antonio were gathered. Their voices floated up to where I was standing.

"Then I will pay you triple," Aro said. Mario shook his head. "Four times," Aro argued, and Mario seemed to consider it.

"Five times," Renata reasoned, and I was shocked by her voice. It was noticeably higher and softer and smoother than when I last heard her speak.

"Deal," Mario said, and held out his hand for his pay. Aro placed many, many, many coins in his hand and glared at Renata. Mario went back into the palazzo to get Antonio's bags, I assumed.

"Do not do that again, Renata, do you understand me?" Aro hissed.

"Sorry, master, but-" Aro cut her off by taking her hand for a split second. She dropped it back to her side.

"I realize that we were getting nowhere with that human, as does everyone else who witnessed the transaction. Let me handle all transactions from now until the very day I die," Aro commanded.

"Yes, master," Renata said with her head bent in what looked to be shame.

"Caius will be speaking with you when we get back to the castle. It may very well be an arm this time, for all I know," Aro said. I looked at Antonio. The shocked feeling changed into fury and wonder when I saw that none of this exchange seemed to faze him; Corin, as well, when I looked at his face. I saw him tilt his head back as if to look up at me. Everyone else's eyes turned towards where Corin was looking; I ducked behind the balcony wall, hoping and praying that they didn't see me.

"What is everyone looking at?" I heard Mario ask.

"A bird that landed on one of the balconies; it just flew away," Antonio said. I looked over the edge and saw that they were all focused on Mario. He had Antonio's items and was putting them in the gondola. I watched Antonio's thumb dig into his middle finger on the tip of the finger. It was our sign to let the other know they had seen them.

Antonio had lied about the bird. Antonio had told a lie to a person who he and our family had always considered close. If Antonio saw me, I had a feeling that Aro would eventually know about my watching all of this. The resurfaced fury and wonder grew deeper with this revelation.

Another revelation hit me as I watched Mario push away from the canal wall and fully into the canal, a feeling of dread sweeping over my entire body.

When Aro came back for me, I was not going to be leaving to be one of his many apprentices.

I was going to work for him for whatever sick, twisted operation he had going on.

After I thought about it, I doubted it was anything holy, too.

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	5. Chapter 4

**I forgot who reviewed it, but somebody said "Aro and holy don't go together" which got me laughing. (Or something along the lines of that.) Thanks to whoever said it. I'm too lazy to go check, even though my email is open in the next tab over.**

**The Afton in the beginning of the story is not the same Afton as the one in the Vampire Index in the back of Breaking Dawn. Just and FYI if you get confused and go "Wait a second..."**

**This is a slightly shorter chapter because, well, it says enough in the short amount of it. Next chapter will compensate for the slack this chapter brings to the table.**

**Usual disclaimers apply.**

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The week passed by slowly, and I was filled with dread and sadness the entire time. I knew Antonio wouldn't have liked me being like this, but there was little I could do about it. I didn't want Thursday to come, nor did I ever want to go through the motions of marrying Afton. And I certainly did _not_ want to attend the dinner party afterwards, where his two large, hulking brothers, Demetri and Felix, would most likely pick on me for my size. They had just gone on a missionary trip with one of the uncles and had come back just in time for the wedding. In fact, as I later found out, they reason their trip was cut short was _because_ of the wedding.

Still, I got through the ceremony. I don't remember much of it, seeing as I was trying to block it out of my mind as the events were unfolding. I vaguely remember looking at everyone, friends and family, and wondering how I looked and what my face showed and if they thought I was out of my mind for going through with it. Mother and Father surely were. Even after the denunciations that surrounded him and Heidi about Heidi being a personal prostitute for him.

"It was just the one time," Heidi had pleaded, and Renata and I hadn't talked to her for a good solid seven months after that. Father had been so outraged, I thought he would slap her. Later, Renata confided in me that he had indeed slapped her - and much worse.

Where my memory starts to get better is when I was standing in my room, staring at myself, wondering what Afton would do when I suddenly disappeared. Only the families with daughters that I associated with knew about Aro's plans - I shuddered on the inside at the name - and Afton's family, the Barlucci family, had only sons. There was no way he could know.

"Would you quit staring at yourself and change?!" My mother had burst into my room without my say. Fury highlighted her features. "Guests are waiting downstairs for you and they are getting restless!"

"Sorry, Mother," I said, turning to change. My mother hit the back of my head, causing my head to be thrown downwards.

"That is more like it," she said, and with a sweep of her green velvet dress, she stormed out of the room. Massaging my neck, I changed into the simpler white dress that I begged my mother to have made. The dress I had to wear for the ceremony was heavy and big, and I could barely breathe in it.

The white lace of the lighter dress felt good against my hot skin; it had been in my closet, and for some strange reason, it was always really cold in there. I would escape there for a few minutes now and then during the summer.

I left my room and went down to the meal room, as Mother always referred to it.

"Ah, the lady of the hour," Father said, a glass of wine in his hand. Everybody fell silent and then clapped politely at my entrance. He came over to me, smiled at me, and escorted me to my place at the table. The smile held something I couldn't place. A secret, maybe?

Everyone after me soon followed suit, Afton sitting next to me.

"What took you so long?" Afton demanded, nodding sharply at the servant who poured his wine. I smiled at the servant and then at him.

"The dress was complicated to get off," I said, only half lying. Something gleamed in Afton's eye, and I quickly looked away, taking a sip of my wine. It was the only white wine my family made, and was one of those sharp wines that needed an acquired taste from years and years of drinking it for one to be able to fully enjoy it.

"I would like to introduce the newly wed couple, Afton and Chelsea," Father said after the room quieted again. Another table, identical to the one we always ate at every night, was pushed up against the original one to create a very large table, and an even larger tablecloth, entirely white, was draped over it. Our best chine was set out, and I knew the little ones, Niccolo and Norene included, despite being 12, were eating in the kitchen and then being watched on a different floor by Aunt Maria and Aunt Francesca.

Father motioned for us to stand. We did, and Afton took my hand, squeezing it just a little too tightly for comfort. When we sat back down, I could have sworn, something very much a sin then, that he almost pulled me down. Smiling to cover up what I noticed, I leaned over to my mother.

"Please tell me this is going to be a quick meal," I pleaded.

"No," Mother said sharply, and then started up a conversation Father about something I obviously wasn't entitled to hearing. Piero began serving the first part of the meal, and I wished he would hurry up. He caught my eye and his look said his thoughts mirrored my own but that there was nothing he could do about it.

Later on, when the meal was almost over, Afton grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me out of the room.

"What was that for?" I hissed sharply, rubbing my shoulder. It had nearly split with Afton's strength. He advanced on me until my back was pressed up against the wall.

"I am sure you are aware of the denunciations against me and your sister," Afton said quietly. There was nothing nice or sweet with his voice.

"Very," I said, trying to straighten up. "My older sister and I did not speak to her for a while after that."

Afton grabbed my chin and threw my head to one side and then slapped it back the other way. My skin felt raw where he hit me; it was the same place my own father had hit me not a week ago.

"Then you will do well to keep it quiet that it ever happened, do you understand me?" Afton asked, a fist quickly hitting my stomach and causing me to double over.

"I understand," I said, trying to find my breath.

"Wait five seconds before coming back in," Afton ordered, and went back into the room. Even though it was a huge room, I could hear Father ask, "Where is Chelsea?"

"She will-" And then the door closed.

Waiting and counting slowly to five, something Antonio had taught me several years ago (every number up to 25), and then entered the room.

"Everything alright?" Mother asked me as I sat back down. I dropped my head to hide the raw patch of skin. She was sitting to my right and could easily see where Father and then Afton had hit me.

"Yes, everything is fine." I knew I was horrible at lying, and I knew it. I secretly wished that I could be more convincing.

"Fine then," Mother said slowly, only traces of doubt in her voice.

Evening meal ended, and being the proper rich families that were in attendance, everyone, drunk and not, went home. There were stories of how the less-rich would try to bed the new couple the same night they were married. Since it was something the less-rich seemed to enjoy doing, for some peculiar reason, the rich families that my family knew would never tolerate it.

"I will be seeing you soon, no?" Afton said, his smile telling me to keep the incident in the hall quiet. I simply nodded and he left with his father, his smile turning into a satisfied grin. He almost looked proud of himself, too.

"If you only knew," I muttered, and left the remaining guests in favor of my room and retiring for the night.

Heidi stopped by my room to see where I went after the meal ended, and we talked briefly about the ceremony. The tension in the air between the two of us was very evident, and after she left, I took the ring off my finger, a new custom that was slowly arising as far as I knew, and walked out to the balcony. Watching the lamps and candles of Venice light up windows, I leaned against the edge of the balcony wall, wishing my life were just a bit easier than I currently had it.

Anger, that come out of no where, welled up inside of me, and I threw the ring down towards the canal water. I could barely make out the splash in the sun's dying light; with the shouts and swears of my fellow Venetians, i would have never heard the ring hit the water.

My anger not completely gone, I childishly stuck my tongue out at the canal that was now sweeping the gold ring away from my palazzo, and went back into my room, shutting the doors behind me.

I don't think I ever fell asleep as fast as I did that night.

* * *

**Grazia's been mentioned several times, and next chapter we're finally going to meet her. Aro will be back, as well, and Chelsea will have pieced some things together. It'll make Aro unhappy that she was able to figure out so much.**

**Review!**


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